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Bible teaching with an emphasis on Israel, prophecy and the Jewish roots of Christianity

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Episode: “A Place of Opportunity”

Zola tells us the history of Tel Aviv, the business center of Israel. We also visit a site in nearby Jaffa where Arab and Jewish children regularly come together in peace.

Series: “This Is Israel”

Tired of waiting 20 years for CNN and the other networks to show Israel as the modern, beautiful country it really is, Zola and his crew decided to do it themselves. Viewers will be as surprised as our pilgrims to see that this much-criticized nation is at least the equal of our own and in some ways superior!

Transcript

Caption transcript for This Is Israel: “A Place of Opportunity” (3/12)

00:02 HELLO, I'M ZOLA LEVITT.
00:04 ON THIS PROGRAM, WE ARE GOING TO ISRAEL'S LARGEST,
00:06 MOST MODERN CITY, THE BIG ORANGE.
00:08 AND THEN TO A SETTLEMENT HOUSE
00:10 WHERE JEWISH AND ARAB CHILDREN COME TOGETHER IN PEACE.
00:13 ALL THAT AND MORE ON OUR PROGRAM.
00:18 [ music playing ]
00:54 SHALOM, HELLO AGAIN.
00:56 WELL, WE'RE GOING TO THE BIG ORANGE AS I SAID.
00:59 THAT'S THE SISTER CITY TO NEW YORK CITY, THE BIG APPLE.
01:01 AND, OF COURSE, IT'S TEL AVIV.
01:03 ISRAEL'S CENTER FOR BUSINESS AND COMMERCE,
01:05 A VERY MODERN HUSTLE, BUSTLE CITY.
01:08 WE'LL FIRST GO DOWN TO JAFFA
01:10 WHICH IS ON THE SOUTH OF TEL AVIV,
01:12 AND WE'LL LOOK ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEAS,
01:15 SINCE THESE ARE COASTAL CITIES AT THE BEAUTIFUL SKYLINE
01:19 OF MODERN TEL AVIV.
01:29 WELL, ISRAEL IS A PLACE OF REAL OPPORTUNITY.
01:32 A MODERN COUNTRY.
01:33 YOU KNOW, ISRAEL >> AND THE BIBLE ITSELF
01:35 ARE CONSIDERED BY SO MANY AS ANCIENT AND IRRELEVANT.
01:40 THERE ARE CHURCHES THAT CONSIDER THE OLD TESTAMENT OUT OF DATE.
01:44 REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY IS TAUGHT.
01:45 AND GOD IS FINISHED WITH HIS HOMELAND.
01:49 CNN SHOWS THIS PLACE AS DUSTY STREETS AND SMALL TOWNS
01:54 AND LITTLE VILLAGES THAT DON'T COUNT FOR MUCH.
01:56 THE TRUTH IS IT IS A MODERN AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
01:59 AND THAT'S WHAT THIS SERIES IS ABOUT.
02:01 YOU KNOW, WHEN THE GREAT ZIONIST WROTE HIS BOOK,
02:06 [ speaking Hebrew ]
02:09 THEODOR HERZL, THAT'S TRANSLATED "OLD/NEW LAND."
02:14 THAT'S A FUNNY WAY OF PUTTING IT.
02:16 ISRAEL IS AN OLD LAND, NATURALLY ONE OF THE OLDEST
02:20 AND IT IS A NEW LAND BECAUSE IT'S BEEN REBUILT
02:22 IN A GENERATION, SINCE 1948,
02:25 AS ONE OF THE MOST MODERN UP-TO-DATE COUNTRIES.
02:28 AND THESE WORDS FOR THE NAME OF THE CITY TEL AVIV
02:32 ARE OLD AND NEW ALSO.
02:34 A TEL IS AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL MOUNTAIN.
02:36 THAT'S A VERY OLD THING.
02:37 AVIV IN HEBREW IS THE WORD FOR SPRING.
02:39 THAT'S A RENEWED THING.
02:42 SO TEL AVIV IS OLD AND NEW ALSO LIKE,
02:46 [ speaking Hebrew ] THE BOOK BY HERZL.
02:48 AND THIS IS THE >> NEW YORK CITY OF ISRAEL.
02:51 TEL AVIV IS A MODERN METROPOLIS OF SKYSCRAPERS AND EXPRESSWAYS
02:56 AND HUSTLE, BUSTLE, PEOPLE RUNNING EVERYWHERE.
03:00 AND IT IS NOT A VERY OLD CITY.
03:02 ON OUR TOURS, WHICH ARE BIBLICAL TOURS,
03:03 WE REALLY DON'T SPEND MUCH TIME IN TEL AVIV BECAUSE THE PLACE
03:07 DIDN'T START UNTIL >> ALMOST THE 20th CENTURY.
03:10 IN 1889, PILGRIMS, PIONEERS WERE ENCOURAGED TO COME HERE
03:15 BY THE ROTHSCHILD FAMILY >> WHO SUPPORTED THEM.
03:18 AND THEY EKED OUT A PLACE HERE ON THE EMPTY SAND.
03:22 THEY BEGAN WITH JUST A WATER TOWER.
03:24 IN 1902, THERE WAS A CHOLERA EPIDEMIC IN JAFFA.
03:29 I'M ACTUALLY STANDING IN JAFFA
03:31 WHICH IS THE SOUTHERN END OF TEL AVIV.
03:33 AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE WERE DYING OF THIS DISEASE
03:38 BUT THE ARABS WHO CONTROLLED JAFFA WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM
03:42 TO BURY THE JEWS >> THERE IN THE LAND.
03:44 I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REALIZE THAT,
03:45 BUT MUSLIM COUNTRIES WILL NOT BURY CHRISTIANS OR JEWS.
03:49 IN THE PERSIAN GULF WAR, >>SAUDI ARABIA SAID THAT,
03:53 WHAT IF A JEWISH-AMERICAN SOLDIER WHO IS THERE TO DEFEND
03:57 THE PLACE DIES IN BATTLE?
04:00 WHAT WILL WE DO?
04:01 WE HAVE TO TAKE HIS BODY,
04:02 AND WE DID THAT QUIETLY BEHIND THE SCENES.
04:04 IF ANYBODY WAS KILLED AND SHOULDN'T BE BURIED AND WOULD CONTAMINATE
04:08 THE SOIL WE HAD TO CARRY >> THEM OUTSIDE OF THE PLACE.
04:11 IMAGINE.
04:13 OF COURSE, WHEN THE JEWISH PEOPLE WERE BURIED NORTH
04:14 OF THE CITY, NORTH OF JAFFA, WHY,
04:17 THAT ATTRACTED THEM TO THAT AREA
04:19 WHEN THEY WENT TO VISIT THE GRAVES AND SO ON.
04:22 IN 1909, 60 FAMILIES DECIDED TO MAKE A SETTLEMENT.
04:27 AND THEY DID SOMETHING VERY UNUSUAL.
04:29 THEY WENT DOWN TO THE SEASHORE AND THEY GATHERED UP SEASHELLS
04:32 AND THEY WROTE ON THE SEASHELLS,
04:34 THE NAMES OF EACH FAMILY AND THEN THEY WROTE LOT NUMBERS
04:38 FOR PORTIONS OF LAND WITHIN THE CITY OF TEL AVIV.
04:41 AND THEN THEY SENT THE CHILDREN TO CHOOSE A SEASHELL
04:45 OUT OF ONE HAT FOR THE LAND,
04:47 AND OUT OF THE OTHER HAT >> FOR THE FAMILY NAME.
04:49 AND THAT'S HOW THEY ORIGINALLY GOT THEIR FIRST LOTS HERE.
04:53 AND NOW, OF COURSE, AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME,
04:56 IT'S A CENTER OF THE WORLD.
04:58 IT'S A POLITICAL CENTER.
05:00 A RELIGIOUS CENTER CERTAINLY.
05:02 A BIG STOCK MARKET, DIAMOND EXCHANGE.
05:06 SO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS HAVE HAPPENED TO TEL AVIV OVER THE GENERATIONS.
05:10 WELL, IN 1936, THERE WAS AN ARAB UPRISING IN JAFFA SO SERIOUS
05:16 THAT IT CLOSED THE JAFFA PORT AND THAT GAVE AN OPPORTUNITY
05:20 FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE TO BUILD
05:21 THEIR OWN PORT NORTH IN TEL AVIV.
05:25 IT OPENED TEL AVIV >> TO SEA COMMERCE.
05:28 WELL, AS THEY SAID, THE PALESTINIANS NEVER SEEM
05:31 TO MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MISS AN OPPORTUNITY.
05:34 THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY BACK THEN TO KEEP THEIR PORT OPEN
05:38 AND KEEP THE JEWISH PEOPLE WITH THEM AND TOGETHER
05:40 CULTIVATE THAT INDUSTRY.
05:42 BUT INSTEAD CLOSED THEIR PORT AND SO THE JEWS TOOK IT OVER
05:47 AND NOW THEY HAVE THE BIGGEST MARINA IN THE WHOLE MIDDLE EAST.
05:52 NOW 40 PERCENT OF THE ISRAELI POPULATION OCCUPIES THE TEL AVIV
05:58 METROPLEX YOU MIGHT CALL IT
06:00 OR THE WHOLE GREATER METROPOLITAN AREA REACHING
06:02 ALMOST TO JERUSALEM ON THE SOUTH AND EAST AND UP THE COAST
06:09 QUITE A WAYS TOWARD CEASAREA ON THE NORTH.
06:14 50 PERCENT OF THE INDUSTRY IS HERE.
06:16 THE PLANTS, THE DIAMOND EXCHANGE WHICH I MENTIONED.
06:19 IT'S INTERESTING THE JEWS HAVE HANDLED THESE PRECIOUS STONES
06:23 FOR A LONG TIME, FOR CENTURIES.
06:26 AND THEY DO IT ON TRUST, NOT ON CONTRACTS.
06:29 THAT IS, AND YOU SEE IT IN THE MOVIES,
06:31 THE ORTHODOX JEWISH PEOPLE IN NEW YORK,
06:34 THEY CARRY DIAMONDS IN AN OVERCOAT POCKET.
06:37 THEY TRADE WITH EACH OTHER FOR CASH.
06:39 THEY DON'T NECESSARILY WRITE THINGS DOWN OR SIGN THINGS OR PROMISE THINGS.
06:44 ALL BILLS ARE PAID.
06:45 IT'S A MATTER OF HONOR AND THEY KEEP IT HONORABLE.
06:50 IT IS JUST THAT CONTRACTS ARE A MATTER OF WHETHER
06:56 YOU CAN TRUST YOUR PARTNER.
06:58 THE PEACE PROCESS IS A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE
07:00 OF CONTRACTS THAT SIMPLY DON'T WORK OUT.
07:02 THE PROMISES ARE BROKEN.
07:05 PEOPLE DON'T DO WHAT THEY SAY THEY ARE GOING TO DO.
07:07 AND THAT DOESN'T WORK.
07:09 BUT THE JEWS AND THE DIAMONDS HAVE WORKED FOR CENTURIES.
07:11 THE EUROPEANS WELL KNOW IT.
07:13 THE DIAMOND EXCHANGE THERE AND NEW YORK CITY SIMPLY DEPEND ON
07:16 THE JEWISH SKILLS OF DIAMOND CUTTING AND DIAMOND APPRAISALS
07:20 AND ALL OF THE REST OF IT.
07:22 WHEN ARCHITECTS TEND TO DESIGN A NEW CITY
07:25 WHICH THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO DO HERE IN TEL AVIV,
07:27 THEY TEND TO USE THE DESIGNS >> OF WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
07:30 AND SO THIS IS A EUROPEAN STYLE CITY.
07:33 AT THE PRESENT TIME, THEY ARE PRESENTLY RESTORING
07:37 THE OLDER BUILDINGS FROM >>THE 1920s AND SO FORTH
07:39 AND RESTORING THEM IN THE STYLE THEY WERE MADE.
07:42 AND YOU HAVE SIDEWALK CAFES.
07:44 AND YOU HAVE -- THERE'S A STORY OF,
07:46 YOU KNOW, THE TOURIST COME AND SIT IN THE CAFES
07:48 AND LOOK AT THE PEOPLE PARADING BY.
07:50 AND THEN THE TOURIST GET UP AND THEY PARADE AND THE PEOPLE
07:53 WHO ARE WALKING SIT IN THE SIDEWALK CAFE LOOK AT THEM.
07:56 AND SO THEY EXCHANGE.
07:58 BUT ANYWAY, IT'S A EUROPEAN STYLE OF LIVING AND THAT'S WHAT
08:00 THE EUROPEAN >> IMMIGRANTS WERE USED TO.
08:02 THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH IT.
08:04 WELL, GENESIS 12:2, WAY BACK TO THE TIME OF ABRAHAM
08:08 GIVES A PROMISE THAT'S BEHIND ME.
08:22 TEL AVIV, ISRAEL REALLY IS A BLESSING TO THE NATIONS.
08:26 MEDIA CAN WRITE IT UP THE WAY THEY PLEASE AND BE NEGATIVE.
08:30 BUT WHEN YOU SEE IT REALLY AS IT IS;
08:33 BEAUTIFUL, MODERN, UP TO DATE, TECHNOLOGICAL, VERY IMPROVED,
08:38 LEADING THE WAY INTO THE >> MILLENNIUM YOU CAN SEE THIS
08:42 IS TRULY A >> BLESSING TO ALL NATIONS.
08:57 "THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD, I SHALL GATHER YOU FROM THE
09:00 "PEOPLES AND ASSEMBLE YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRIES WHERE YOU HAVE
09:04 "BEEN SCATTERED AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE LAND OF ISRAEL,
09:08 "THE WILDERNESS AND >> DRY LAND SHALL BE GLAD.
09:11 "THE DESERT SHALL REJOICE AND BLOSSOM AS THE ROSE.
09:15 "YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD WHEN I BRING
09:18 "YOU INTO THE LAND OF ISRAEL."
09:30 [ music playing ]
10:09 WELL, WE HAVE MOVED WITHIN THE CITY ONCE BUILT ON SAND DUNES
10:12 AND AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME,
10:13 THEY HAVE BUILT QUITE A CITY HERE.
10:15 CNN AND THE NETWORKS DRIVE PAST PLACES LIKE THIS
10:18 EVERY DAY AND THEY NEVER SHOW THEM TO YOU.
10:21 THIS IS ISRAEL.
10:22 THIS IS TEL AVIV.
10:24 AND IT'S AVERAGE.
10:25 WE COULD GO A HUNDRED PLACES IN THE CITY
10:28 AND HAVE WONDERFUL BUILDINGS AND MODERN VIEWS LIKE THIS.
10:31 IT'S A PLACE OF REAL OPPORTUNITY.
10:35 PEOPLE HAVE COME HERE >> AND BUILT A MAGNIFICENT,
10:38 HUGE AND WONDERFUL CITY.
10:41 YOU KNOW, THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE SAYS THIS.
10:54 THAT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT I THINK IN A TIME WHEN WE'RE DISCUSSING
10:58 DIVIDING THE LAND BETWEEN THOSE OF ANOTHER RELIGION AND JUDAISM.
11:05 WHEN BEFORE, THE PALESTINIANS SO-CALLED,
11:08 HELD HALF OF JERUSALEM SAY,
11:11 THEY BLEW UP THE SYNAGOGUES THERE.
11:13 TOOK GRAVE STONES AND PAVED ROADS WITH THEM.
11:16 THEY REALLY DID NOT >> ALLOW THE OTHER RELIGION
11:18 ANY BREATHING SPACE AT ALL.
11:21 IN FACT, JEWISH PEOPLE WERE SIMPLY FORBIDDEN TO GO TO THEIR
11:23 HOLY SITES AND THAT WAS THE END OF THAT.
11:25 NOW THAT JEWISH PEOPLE ARE IN CHARGE,
11:27 PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS COME, CHRISTIANS AND MOSLEMS AND JEWS
11:32 A LIKE GO WHERE WERE THEY LIKE IN THIS LAND.
11:35 IT'S A RESTORED LAND.
11:37 IT'S A DIFFERENT LAND.
11:40 YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GO BACK TO WHAT MARK TWAIN SAID
11:42 AND I HAVE A QUOTATION FROM HIM WORTH LOOKING AT.
11:44 HE CAME AND TOURED HERE AND HE WROTE A BOOK CALLED
11:47 "INNOCENCE ABROAD," AND WHEN HE TOURED IN ISRAEL,
11:51 THE THINGS THAT HE WROTE ABOUT THIS PLACE ARE EYE OPENING.
11:54 HE FOUND IT A TERRIBLE LAND, AN ABANDONED LAND
11:58 AND THIS WAS IN THE 19th CENTURY
12:01 BEFORE THE JEWS CAME BACK TO THE LAND.
12:04 IT SAYS.
12:12 SADLY, THAT'S WHAT THE LAND LOOKED LIKE
12:14 AT THAT TIME AND YET WE HAVE SO MANY VERSES ZEPHANIAH 2:7 SAYS,
12:19 "THE COAST LINE SHALL BE >>FOR THE REMNANT OF MY PEOPLE OF
12:22 "JUDAH WHEN I TURN AWAY THEIR CAPTIVITY AND BRING THEM BACK."
12:25 AND I COULD GO ON AND ON.
12:26 DEUTERONOMY 30:1-5.
12:28 "THEY'LL COME BACK INTO THE LAND THEIR FATHER'S POSSESSED AND
12:31 "THEY SHALL POSSESS AND THEY'LL HAVE EVEN MORE
12:33 "THAN THEIR FATHERS HERE."
12:35 SO AS YOU CAN SEE, MARK TWAIN WOULD BE STUNNED
12:38 TO SEE THE SCENE BEHIND ME, I'M SURE.
12:40 GOLDA MEIR SAID:
12:46 THAT'S THE SOUTHERN DESERT OF ISRAEL.
12:47 THAT'S LIKE ARIZONA OR CALIFORNIA.
12:49 VERY, VERY DRY AND HOT.
12:51 SHE SAID.
13:01 THAT WAS SO VERY TRUE.
13:02 AND NOT VERY SURPRISING WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHAT THE LORD
13:05 ORIGINALLY SAID TO ABRAHAM IN GENESIS 12.
13:34 INDEED, THIS IS ISRAEL'S REAL MISSION.
13:36 BLESSING ALL NATIONS OF THE EARTH.
13:38 AND THEY DO IT WELL BY GIVING THE BIBLE.
13:40 MY GOODNESS, BY GIVING BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH
13:43 AND BY SENDING OUT THE ORIGINAL MISSIONARIES.
13:45 IN SOME WAYS, THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
13:47 IS AS A RESULT OF A JEWISH MISSION.
13:49 NOT IN JUST SOME WAYS, THAT'S A FACT.
13:51 AND PEOPLE THROUGH THE AGES RECOGNIZED THIS.
13:55 ARTHUR BALFOUR, IN EUROPE, IN ENGLAND ONE OF GOD'S KEY MEN
14:02 GAVE OUT A DECLARATION THAT THE JEWS REALLY DO HAVE A
14:07 RIGHT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN COUNTRY IN THEIR OWN LAND, THEIR OWN SOCIETY.
14:12 AND HE SAID THIS IN 1917 AND IT WAS AN ORIGINAL INSPIRATION FOR
14:17 THE JEWS TO COME BACK HERE
14:19 AND POSSESS THE LAND >> THEIR FATHERS POSSESSED.
14:23 THE IDEA OF THE JEWS COMING IS ZIONISM.
14:27 THAT TERM HAS BEEN THROWN AROUND THE ARABS IN A PUBLIC RELATIONS
14:33 MOVE DECIDED TO SAY THAT ZIONISM IS RACISM.
14:37 NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH AND I MEAN THAT.
14:40 ZIONISM BRINGS ALL JEWS BACK TO ISRAEL.
14:43 THAT'S WHAT IT IS ABOUT.
14:44 THEY COME FROM ALL NATIONS AND THEY COME TO THIS LAND.
14:47 THAT MEANS PEOPLE WHO ARE WHITE,
14:50 PEOPLE WHO ARE BLACK LIKE THE ETHIOPIANS,
14:53 PEOPLE FROM RUSSIA, CHINA, THE ORIENT,
14:55 JEWISH PEOPLE FROM EVERY NATION.
14:58 IT'S THE OPPOSITE OF RACISM.
15:00 THIS IS THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT BROUGHT BLACK PEOPLE FROM AFRICA
15:03 HERE NOT AS SLAVES BUT AS FIRST CLASS CITIZENS
15:08 AND NOT TO WORK HERE BUT AS OWNERS OF THIS LAND.
15:10 THEY DO NOT HAVE >>TO APPLY TO LIVE HERE.
15:12 THEY ARE PROMISED THIS LAND BY ALMIGHTY GOD, FOR GOODNESS SAKE.
15:18 SO ZIONISM IS THE OPPOSITE OF RACISM
15:22 SINCE IT DEALS WITH ALL RACES.
15:24 THE ARABS PUT THAT AS AN U.N. RESOLUTION AND THE U.N. VOTED IT
15:28 IN MINDLESSLY AND NOT EVEN KNOWING THE DEFINITION
15:30 OF THE WORD AND THEN LATER >> RESCINDED THAT APPROVAL.
15:34 WELL, THE NATION SHOULD UNDERSTAND BY NOW THAT GOD MEANS
15:38 IT WHEN HE SAYS,
15:39 "I WILL BLESS THEE AND CURSE HIM THAT CURSETH THEE."
15:43 WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, IN OUR OWN GENERATION,
15:46 THE UNITED STATES HAS PROSPERED SO WELL BECAUSE
15:50 AT LEAST IN PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS WE
15:52 WERE BLESSING ISRAEL WONDERFULLY.
15:54 WE HELPED THEM.
15:55 WE GAVE THEM AID.
15:57 WE HELPED THEM BRING THEIR IMMIGRANTS IN AND SO FORTH.
15:59 AND AMERICA HAS PROSPERED.
16:01 WHAT DID THE ARABS HERE DO AT THE SAME TIME BUT BOYCOTT ISRAEL
16:05 AND PERSUADE PEOPLE, JUST BLACKMAIL, IF YOU TRADE
16:09 WITH ISRAEL WE WON'T SELL YOU ANY OIL
16:11 OR WE WE'LL RAISE THE PRICE OR WHATEVER.
16:14 THAT WAS JUST THE OPPOSITE.
16:15 BUT HOW HAVE THE ARABS FARED?
16:18 THEY ARE POOR >> AND THEY ARE DOWNTRODDEN >> AND THEY'RE BACKWARD.
16:21 THEY HAVEN'T PROSPERED VERY WELL.
16:23 WELL, LOOK AT EUROPE WHICH IS STILL STAGGERING
16:28 FROM WORLD WAR II IN MANY PLACES OR RUSSIA WHICH IS COMING APART.
16:32 ANTI-SEMITIC NATIONS WHICH HAVE SUFFERED FOR CURSING ISRAEL
16:37 VERSUS THE UNITED STATES >> WHICH GAVE THE JEWS A HOME
16:40 AND FREEDOM AND PROSPERED BY THEIR INDUSTRY.
16:44 ZIONISM REALLY IS FAITH.
16:47 IT'S A KIND >> OF A FAITH IN THIS LAND.
16:49 AND FAITH, YOU KNOW IN 11:1 IS DEFINED FOR US.
16:58 THEY COULDN'T SEE WHAT WAS GOING TO THE SAND DUNES
17:01 AND TO THE CEMETERY, TO THIS PLACE THAT WAS EMPTY.
17:04 IMAGINE HAVING THAT KIND >>OF FAITH TO BUILD THIS?
17:08 THE GATE OF HOPE, IN 1878, JERUSALEM JEWS ESTABLISHED
17:14 A FIRST-EVER AGRICULTURE COLONY AT PETAH TIKVA WHICH IS VERY
17:18 NEAR HERE AND FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE,
17:23 THEY BUILT BEN GURION AIRPORT THERE.
17:25 IT'S THE ANCIENT CITY OF LYDIA IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WHERE THE
17:29 AIRPORT IS NOW STANDING.
17:31 I CAN CONCLUDE WITH A QUOTE FROM DOLLY'S MENORAH.
17:36 THE ARTIST BUILT A FANTASTIC CANDLESTICK AND SAID THIS ON IT.
17:50 I COULDN'T SAY IT BETTER MYSELF.
18:00 JAFFA IS OFTEN TRANSLATED IN THE BIBLE AS JOPPA, J-O-P-P-A,
18:04 WHERE PETER SPENT THE NIGHT IN >> SIMON THE TANNER'S HOUSE
18:07 WHEN HE WAS SUMMONED TO CEASAREA TO SEE CORNELIUS.
18:10 AND THE FIRST GENTILE OF THE CHURCH AGE WAS SAVED.
18:13 PETER LEFT FROM THE TOWN WE ARE GOING TO NOW.
18:16 AND WE'RE GOING TO GO TO A SETTLEMENT HOUSE LIKE A YMCA
18:19 WHERE ARAB AND JEWISH CHILDREN GET ALONG IN PERFECT PEACE.
18:21 AND ISN'T THAT THE BEGINNING OF ANY REAL PEACE PROCESS?
18:24 THE CHILDREN.
18:30 DURING THE DAY, PEOPLE ARE COMING HERE TO HAVE
18:32 ACTIVITIES BUT THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE CAN MEET THE OTHER SIDE.
18:36 WE HAVE HERE CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND JEWS.
18:38 AFTERNOON, AND WE HAVE 2500 PUPIL DURING THE DAY.
18:42 AND WE HAVE 1400 MEMBERS.
18:45 WE HAVE ALL RANGES.
18:46 WE CELEBRATE ALL HOLY DAYS.
18:48 WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS AND HANUKKAH.
18:51 AND ALL PARTIES >>PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTIVITIES.
18:54 FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE MEETINGS >>BETWEEN A PRIEST IN MUSLIM
18:58 AND RABBI TO TALK ABOUT THE CONNECTION
18:59 WITH PEACE IN THE REGION.
19:02 WE HAVE PEACE FESTIVALS AND PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM OTHER
19:05 COUNTRIES AND COMING TO ISRAEL TO HEAR IT.
19:09 WHEN WE STARTED THIS CENTER, WE EXPECTED IN THE FIRST YEAR,
19:12 WE WOULD HAVE 120 PEOPLE.
19:15 THAT'S ALL.
19:16 AND THE FIRST YEAR WE HAD 1000 MEMBERS IN THE CENTER.
19:19 SO PEOPLE LIKE IT.
19:21 PEOPLE WANT TO DO IT.
19:23 NOW, HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE REPRESENTED HERE
19:25 AND WHY DO THEY COME HERE?
19:26 WHY DON'T THEY >>JUST PARTICIPATE IN THE SAME
19:28 THINGS RIGHT AT THE >> SCHOOL WHERE THEY ATTEND?
19:30 WE HAVE 14 SCHOOLS.
19:35 WE HAVE ARAB SCHOOLS.
19:36 WE HAVE JEWISH SCHOOLS AND WE HAVE MIXED SCHOOLS.
19:38 SOME OF THEM ARE >> COMING TO USE OUR FACILITIES
19:40 BECAUSE WE HAVE VERY >> BIG AND NICE FACILITIES.
19:43 BUT THE IDEA IS TO GIVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THE OTHER SIDE.
19:48 FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE MIXED SCHOOLS
19:51 AND WE HAVE ARAB >> AND JEWISH SCHOOLS
19:53 THAT COME TO SPECIAL PROGRAMS.
19:55 FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE JEWISH SCHOOLS AND ARAB SCHOOLS TO MAKE
19:58 THEATER GROUPS OR MUSIC BANDS OR BALLET AND SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
20:02 AND TOGETHER WE TRY TO GIVE THEM TIME TO KNOW THE OTHER SIDE AND
20:05 PLAY TOGETHER AND THEN AFTER THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT POLITICS.
20:10 THIS YEAR IS THE YEAR OF >> RESPECTING THE OTHER SIDE.
20:13 YOU SEE THIS IS THE IDEA.
20:15 SO WE TRY TO GIVE THEM THE POTENTIAL OF KNOWING THE OTHER SIDE.
20:16 SO YOU KNOW IN ISRAEL, IT IS VERY COMPLICATED
20:18 TO DEAL WITH THE ARABS AND JEWS.
20:20 THE ISSUES OF SECURITIES.
20:22 THE ISSUE OF PEACE.
20:23 SO IF YOU NOT TRY TO DO IT FROM THE EARLY AGES.
20:26 AND WE START THEM AT ONE AND HALF YEARS OLD.
20:29 THIS IS THE IDEA.
20:31 TO GIVE THEM OTHER IDEAS ABOUT THE OTHER CENTER.
20:33 AND TO TRY TO DEMOLISH ALL OF THE PREJUDICE OF THEM
20:37 ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE.
20:39 WHY DO YOU THINK THAT THE PROGRAM IS NOT MORE ACCEPTED
20:41 OR USED THROUGHOUT ISRAEL?
20:44 WHY IS IT JUST HERE IN JAFFA THAT IT'S ABLE TO WORK?
20:47 I'M SORRY TO SAY >> THAT THIS IS THE ONLY CENTER
20:49 OF THIS TYPE IN ISRAEL.
20:51 I DON'T THINK IT IS A MATTER OF BUDGET IN OTHER PLACES.
20:52 IT IS A MATTER OF POLITICAL DECISION.
20:55 AND THIS IS A PROBLEM IN ISRAEL.
20:57 YOU SEE POLITICAL DECISIONS.
20:58 AND SO OKAY LET'S DO THINGS BETWEEN ARABS AND JEWS.
21:00 AND OKAY, LET'S PUT ONE PERCENT OR TWO PERCENT OF THE COST.
21:06 MORE TALKING AND NOT DOING.
21:09 YOU SEE, WE MAKE >> THE THINGS HERE NATURALLY.
21:12 WE DON'T MAKE IT ARTIFICIAL.
21:14 LET'S BRING 50 PERCENT ARABS AND 50 PERCENT JEWS.
21:17 AND THEY MEET EACH OTHER.
21:18 AND THEY DID.
21:19 AND THEY CAN COME HERE.
21:20 AND NATURALLY YOU CAN SHARE THINGS.
21:22 YOU MUST GIVE THEM BEST EQUIPMENT AND IT MUST BE NICE
21:25 AND QUIET AND CLEAN AND WELL >> EQUIPPED BUT THE IDEA IS
21:28 TO NATURALLY COME HERE.
21:30 WHAT KIND OF CLASSES DO YOU HAVE FOR THE CHILDREN HERE?
21:33 WE HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITIES.
21:34 WE HAVE MUSIC, ALL KINDS OF MUSIC.
21:36 ORIENTAL MUSIC.
21:38 GUITAR AND PIANO.
21:42 ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF MUSIC.
21:43 WE HAVE SPORTS.
21:44 WE HAVE HEALTH CLUB HERE.
21:47 WE HAVE ALSO TEACHING LANGUAGE, >> ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS.
21:52 AND ACTIVE CENTER, ALL KINDS.
21:55 WOULD YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU
21:59 DO IN YOUR CLASS WITH THE CHILDREN?
22:01 I'M TEACHING THE CREATIVE DANCE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
22:06 IT'S BALLET, BUT IT IS MORE CREATIVE AND MORE NOEN AND FREE.
22:11 WELL, WHAT'S IT LIKE WORKING WITH ARAB CHILDREN AND JEWISH
22:14 CHILDREN AND DIFFERENT RACES?
22:17 I THINK IT'S MORE INTERESTING JUST TO SEE THEIR RELATIONSHIP
22:20 BETWEEN THEM AND JUST TO SEE HOW THEY GET ALONG.
22:25 AND IT'S LIKE ALL OF >> THE SMALL GROUPS
22:27 AND NOW THESE GROUPS ARE MIXED TOGETHER.
22:29 AND IT'S NICE.
22:30 IT IS NICE TO SEE THAT IT'S WORKING.
22:32 THEY'RE CHILDREN, SO WHY NOT?
22:35 TELL ME WHAT YOU >> DO IN YOUR CLASS.
22:36 I AM WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN WITH ALL KINDS OF MATERIALS
22:40 AND I TEACH THEM >>I LITTLE BIT ABOUT ART
22:44 AND LET THEM EXPRESS THEMSELVES.
22:46 DO YOU FIND THAT THERE'S >>ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
22:48 ARAB CHILDREN AND THE JEWISH CHILDREN AS TO HOW THEY EXPRESS
22:51 THEMSELVES WITH PEN AND INK AND CRAYONS OR WHATEVER THEY USE?
22:55 NO, I THINK CHILDREN ARE CHILDREN, YOU KNOW.
22:57 AND THEY EXPRESS >>THEMSELVES AS CHILDREN.
23:00 DO YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT
23:02 TO WORK WITH ARAB AND JEWISH CHILDREN TOGETHER?
23:04 FOR ME, IT'S THE SAME.
23:05 IT'S KIDS.
23:07 I LIKE THEM FOR HOW THEY LIKE HUMAN,
23:13 NOT HOW IT IS FROM JEW FROM RUSSIA OR FROM THE UNITED STATES AND SO ON.
23:20 YOU THINK THIS WILL HELP THEM
23:22 AS THEY GROW UP THAT THEY ARE TOGETHER AT THIS POINT
23:24 AND THEY WON'T HAVE THE POLITICAL
23:26 PROBLEMS WHEN THEY GROW UP?
23:27 SURE.
23:28 FOR ME IT IS A POSSIBILITY TO DO SOMETHING FOR PEACE PROCESS
23:31 IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
23:33 MAYBE SOME LITTLE HELP FROM ME.
23:36 BUT IT IS REAL HELP.
23:38 10 YEARS AGO, >> IF YOU ASKED ME ABOUT IT
23:39 I SAY I CAN'T TELL YOU IT IS A DREAM.
23:42 BUT IF YOU WANT THINGS, IF YOU HAVE A DECISION,
23:46 YOU CAN MAKE IT.
23:47 SO WE MADE IT.
23:48 WE MADE IT AND WE HAVE IT HERE.
23:49 BUT A CHILD DOES IN FACT
23:51 CHANGE HIS THINKING AFTER BEING HERE FOR A WHILE?
23:55 THOSE THAT COME WITH PREJUDICE?
23:56 WE MADE A RESEARCH, A SURVEY AND WE FOUND A LOT OF CHANGES
24:03 AND A LOT OF KIDS ARE FRIENDS, YOU SEE.
24:07 THEY CAN COME AND VISIT EACH OTHER IN AFTERNOON BECAUSE THEY
24:10 ARE LIVING HERE IN THE AREA.
24:12 WE ARE GIVING SERVICES TO THE PEOPLE IN THE AREA
24:14 AND THE AREAS AROUND, OTHER CITIES.
24:18 BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF MEETINGS BETWEEN FAMILIES AND MOTHERS
24:21 AND FATHERS THAT ARE COMING HERE AND TALKING TOGETHER.
24:24 SO THIS IS AN IDEA.
24:26 NOW, YOU HAVE BEEN TO AMERICA.
24:27 DO YOU THINK AMERICANS HAVE AN ACCURATE VIEW OF WHAT ISRAEL IS LIKE?
24:31 NO, I THINK NO.
24:33 SEE, WHEN I WAS IN AMERICA, I WATCHED TV AND SAID,
24:36 "WOW, PEOPLE >> ARE KILLING EACH OTHER."
24:37 AND IN AMERICA, PEOPLE THINK WE ARE SHOOTING
24:40 EACH OTHER IN THE STREETS.
24:42 SO IT IS NOT LIKE THIS.
24:43 WE HAVE TENSION HERE, WE >>HAVE TENSION, BUT IN ISRAEL IS,
24:47 IT IS MORE ON THE BORDERS.
24:50 PEOPLE ARE >> NOT SHOOTING EACH OTHER.
24:52 IT IS NOT SO ROSY, BUT IT IS NOT SO BAD.
24:54 PEOPLE ARE LIVING HERE.
24:56 AND WE HAVE A LOT OF TENSION AND WE TRY TO LIVE TOGETHER.
24:58 WE MUST CONTINUE LIVING TOGETHER.
25:00 IT THIS IS THE IDEA.
25:01 IT IS NOT LIKE THE THINGS ON TV.
25:03 MOSTLY YOU SEE ON TV, MOSTLY THE BAD THINGS.
25:08 WE ARE AGAINST IT, ALL OF US, >> ARABS AND JEWS TOGETHER.
25:10 WHEN YOU HAVE A BOMB ON THE BUS IN THE STREET,
25:13 AN ARAB OR JEW CAN BE INJURED.
25:15 IT IS NOT A >> MATTER OF ARAB AND JEWS.
25:19 WE ARE IN THE SAME BOAT, >> I SAY AND THIS IS THE IDEA.
25:30 WELL, IT'S PLACES LIKE THE CENTER THAT CAN REALLY
25:32 HAVE A PEACE PROCESS.
25:33 NOT LIKE THE FAKE PEACE >> PROCESS WE HAVE.
25:36 BUT REAL PEACE.
25:37 THESE CHILDREN ARE ISRAELI ARABS.
25:39 IT IS WELL TO REMEMBER THAT THE ARABS WHO LIVE IN ISRAEL
25:41 AND ARE CITIZENS OF ISRAEL AND WHO VOTE IN ISRAEL
25:43 AND HAVE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT REPRESENTING THEM
25:46 ARE QUITE HAPPY WITH THEIR GOVERNMENT.
25:48 THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE A REVOLUTION.
25:50 IT IS THE SO-CALLED PALESTINIANS OF GAZA AND THE WEST BANK WITH
25:56 WHOM WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE PEACE AND THINGS ARE NOT GOING QUITE
25:59 AS WELL AS THEY ARE AT THE CENTER, I CAN TELL YOU.
26:02 BUT THAT'S HOW THINGS ARE AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO BE UNTIL
26:04 THE PRINCE OF PEACE RETURNS, >> I THINK.
26:07 THE ISRAELI ARABS WILL GET ALONG
26:09 FINE BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY.
26:10 OTHER ARABS, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH.
26:14 WELL, TAKE A LOOK AT OUR JERUSALEM 3000 SERIES.
26:17 THAT'S OUR OFFER TONIGHT.
26:19 WHY JERUSALEM 3000?
26:20 WELL, THAT ESTABLISHES THE AGE
26:21 OF JEWISH RULE IN THE LAND.
26:24 EVEN WENT FURTHER BACK THAN THAT
26:26 IF YOU COUNT THE JUDGES
26:27 OF THE TIME SINCE JOSHUA CAME.
26:29 BUT AT LEAST SINCE DAVID RULED
26:30 IN JERUSALEM, IT WAS THE CAPITAL
26:33 OF ISRAEL AND IT IS TODAY.
26:35 AND WE HAVE COVERED THOSE 3000
26:36 YEARS IN RATHER THRILLING SERIES
26:38 OF VIDEO PROGRAMS.
26:41 THERE'S JUST SO MUCH TO SAY
26:42 ABOUT, WELL, YOU KNOW WE DON'T
26:44 HAVE A PROGRAMS ABOUT AMERICAN
26:46 HISTORY FOR 3000 YEARS
26:47 OR EVEN 300 YEARS.
26:49 LET'S FACE IT, THIS IS THE
26:51 WORLD'S OLDEST CITY OF ONE FAITH.
26:55 THAT IS THE JEWISH FAITH, ANYWHERE.
26:59 OTHERS HAVE CHANGED THEIR RELIGIONS AROUND A HUNDREDS
27:01 OF TIMES AND OF COURSE,
27:02 MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS LIVE IN JERUSALEM NOW
27:04 AND THEY DID BEFORE.
27:06 BUT 3000 YEARS AGO,
27:07 DAVID OF ISRAEL CALLED IT
27:08 THE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL.
27:11 AND TODAY EHUD BARAK CALLS IT
27:13 THE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL.
27:14 NO OTHER CITY CAN MAKE
27:16 A STATEMENT LIKE THAT.
27:17 SO GET THE VIDEO SERIES.
27:18 YOU CAN ALSO GET THE MUSIC CASSETTE.
27:19 THERE IS SOME VERY THRILLING SONGS IN THERE;
27:21 INCLUDING OUR BEST-SELLING
27:23 SHA'ALU SHALOM YERUSHALAYIM,
27:25 PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.
27:27 AND AS YOU DO SO REMEMBER THE GIFTS OF FUNDS, FOLKS.
27:31 THAT'S HOW WE'RE REALLY ABLE TO GO THERE.
27:32 TAKE A TV CREW WITH ALL OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE EQUIPMENT
27:35 AND INSURANCE AND VANS AND HOTELS AND MEALS AND SO ON.
27:38 HELP US OUT IF YOU WILL.
27:40 AND SHA'ALU SHALOM YERUSHALAYIM.
27:42 PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.
27:44 CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY: TEXOMA CAPTIONS, INC. 903.464.1455

Episodes in this series

Guest organizations and links

Zola Levitt
- Zola Levitt Ministries, Host and founder
- IMDB
- Amazon
Ken Berg
- Berg Productions, President
- Linkedin
- IMDB

This Product

A Place of Opportunity

(Discontinued)

Information

Episode 3 of 12 in series

Production Code: 703

Type: Episode

Play Time: 28:34

Year: 2000

Series code: VTI

[CC]

Closed Captioned

Host: Zola Levitt, Ken Berg

Guests: Ibrihim Shindi, Igor Romanitsky, Teacher

Air dates: 2000-Mar-26, 2005-Jan-02

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